Old Friends and Hidden Identities
by HP4eva121995
Summary: When an old friend shows up at the White Collar Division to assist the FBI, Neal begins to worry. First story!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N **So I've been reading and writing fanfiction for quite a while but I haven't had the courage to publish one until now. Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated. Oh and I haven't seen every episode of Chuck but I know the basic storyline. The whole Bryce/Neal thing always intrigued me. Also, I'm thinking of leaving this as a one-shot unless you guys want to read more. Thanks!

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They were working a case with the CIA. _Uh oh,_ thought Neal. This was a situation that he probably wouldn't be able to manipulate, even if he used all the Caffrey charm in the world, because the people who taught him were the ones coming to the FBI.

It all started a week ago, when Peter accidentally stumbled upon a file, a file which seemed innocent on the outside (well, as innocent as a file on the mafia can be) but contained huge amounts of classified information which infuriated Peter. It was directly linked to one of the real estate fraud cases they were working on and Neal completely understood Peter's impatience with the higher ups. However when they were told that it was CIA classified information, Neal started getting worried. All these years he was able to slip into the skin of Neal Caffrey successfully. If the CIA came in, it would ruin everything. Bryce Larkin was dead, and he intended to keep it that way. If the CIA officials didn't recognize him, all would be well. But his hopes were dashed as soon as he found out who the agency was sending in to work with them-Chuck Bartowski.

So on Wednesday morning when the FBI was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the CIA agent, Neal was prepping himself. All hell was going to break loose and he had no intention of letting the situation get any more out of hand than it already was.

_This is it_, he thought to himself. He'd have to come clean to Peter. He could explain it all. After all, it was nothing illegal.

After he had died (again), the director of the CIA wanted to place him somewhere else, where The Ring operatives couldn't come after him. He had vital information regarding the operation and they wanted him out of harm's way. It was decided that a whole new persona would be created for him, so that Bryce Larkin could be safely presumed dead.. He would be a renowned art thief, forger and con man. After months of getting to know the new him, he was ready. Neal Caffrey was ready to face the world.

The director kept in contact of course. Once in a while he'd receive mysterious postcards and Neal knew it was a way of letting him know that the CIA was watching out for him. He also helped them out whenever they required assistance regarding the ring. He had spent so much time running from them that he could predict their moves pretty easily. However when he told the director of his predicament, all he got in response was _it's time. _

It's time for what? To come out of hiding? To declare to the world that Bryce Larkin had been alive all these years? How would he explain this to everyone? To the FBI? To his old friends back at the CIA? He prayed that they would listen to him.

_Yes. _Peter would listen. He would understand. Neal was sure of it.

And then Chuck walked in. He looked more mature, as if he'd seen what was out there. Neal was saddened by that thought, as he sat contemplating in Peter's office. All he did was try to keep Chuck out of this life, and here he was, smack in the middle of it. He looked unsure of where to go, with the eyes of all the agents on him. Peter took the initiative

"Hello Agent Bartowski. I'm Agent Peter Burke and this is my team. We're glad to have you here," he said, holding out his hand.

"Please, call me Chuck," he replied, shaking Peter's hand.

"Chuck. Call me Peter. This is my team, Agent Diana Berrigan and Clinton Jones."

"Nice to meet you all," said Chuck with a smile, "I'm sure it'll be fun working with you all."

"Let's go to my office, shall we? Rest of you back to work."

Neal watched Jones, Diana, Peter and Chuck approach the office. He quickly sat down in his seat, his heart hammering. After all these years, he was going to see his best friend again. A wave of nostalgia hit him as he flashed back to his Stanford days.

"Oh and this is my CI, Neal Caffrey," said Peter as they entered the office.

"Hey Chuck," said Neal with a strained smile.

Chuck stopped dead in his tracks as he looked at Neal with utter disbelief.

"Oh my god, Bryce. You're alive!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've had exams. I'm not particularly happy with this chapter but I had noo idea what to do. Thanks for all the reviews and support! I wasn't expecting that much of a reaction from you guys. Love ya :)

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To say the evening was eventful was an understatement. The whole office was in turmoil as they listened to Neal tell them the story about how a dead CIA agent came back to life and assumed the identity of a conman to avoid the enemies he had created. As he was talking, Chuck was glaring at him from across the table, Diana and Jones were listening to him disbelievingly and Hughes kept muttering something about _the bloody CIA._

Peter sat calmly through the whole thing and Neal couldn't read his poker face. When he finished, everyone sat there silently, gaping openmouthed at him.

"You-you're lying," said Diana, pointing a shaky finger at him.

"Unfortunately not, I'm afraid," Chuck said, "Everything Bryce said makes sense. It sounds exactly like something General Beckman would do. After all, it's not the first time." He looked at Neal accusingly.

"I'm sorry Chuck. I really wanted to tell you but I couldn't. There was no time and she _insisted-"_

"I know Bryce, I get it. I'm just happy you're alive. Just wait till we tell Sarah!"

Neal smiled ruefully. Sarah would probably kill him herself for doing this to her again. Now that his secret was out, it felt like a huge burden was lifted off his chest. Whatever the consequences were, he'd deal with them. He looked at Peter, waiting for a reaction from his handler.

"Peter," said Neal sounding worried, "say something."

This jerked Peter out of his stupor. He looked at Neal disbelievingly.

"What do you want me to say Neal. I've wasted years of my life searching for a conman who never existed. You've been lying to me all along."

Neal took in a sharp breath. "You have to understand why I did this Peter. The Ring was closing in. The CIA needed me alive. We had no choice."

"I need some air," he said and abruptly stood up. No one followed.

Neal sighed. It honestly couldn't have gone any differently or any better for that matter. At least no one tried to kill him….yet. He was pretty sure once he met Sarah and the others, their reaction would be completely different.

"Well then. I think we've all had enough excitement for the evening. We'll all reconvene tomorrow morning," said Hughes standing up.

Slowly the office emptied out, and with it, the silent murmurs and whispers of the FBI agents. Finally, only Chuck and Neal were left standing. They stood awkwardly.

"Can I come home with you," blurted Chuck out after a few more minutes. Neal looked surprised.

"Sure. We've got a lot of catching up to do I suppose," he said with a hesitating smile," But I should probably be looking for Peter right now."

Chuck looked at him sadly, "He just needs time to clear his head. Maybe it's best if you leave him alone."

Neal didn't need much time to contemplate. After all, what Chuck said made perfect sense. The last thing Peter needed right now was a visit from Neal. What Peter needed was time. Neal was sure he'd come around.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **So here's chapter three. Thank you guys for waiting patiently. I'm still kinda getting used to the fact that there are people out there actually reading this! Love ya all. Please review. Ideas and constructive criticism is appreciated. :D

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By the time they reached Neal's place, Neal was half dead on his feet. Although the evening wasn't even close to how draining his missions had been, mentally it took a huge toll on him. Talking, explaining and trying to get his friends to understand, was difficult. His relationship with them was never going to be the same again. They wouldn't view him as a friend, but rather a person who had to be spoken to with respect. He cringed at that thought. This assignment, in a way, had been the best thing to ever happen to him. The complications of his old life had been forgotten. Now, however, wasn't the time for his internal worrying and self-pity. Chuck was here with him. And they had a lot of catching up to do.

They talked. Throughout the night, they listened as the other explained how their lives had changed for the better and worse. It was an easy flowing conversation. The two best friends had been reunited after a long time and Neal was happy they still shared the same rapport. They reminisced about their Stanford days, when their lives had clearly been simpler. They talked a lot about Sarah and Neal told Chuck about how he had moved on and met another amazing girl…named Sera. They had a good laugh about that. Chuck told Neal about his wedding, and how he wished Neal was there as his best man. They talked about Casey quite a bit too. Neal was shocked to realize that he no longer felt any animosity towards him.

As the evening wore on, there came a point where neither of them could go on any longer. Neal insisted Chuck take the bed while he slept on the couch and Chuck reluctantly conceded. Their slumber went largely undisturbed.

Sadly, the same couldn't be said for the following morning. They were both jerked awake by a consistent knocking on the front door. Groaning, Neal got up to open the door.

"Mozzie! What are you doing here at this time," said Neal with a yawn.

"Chuck's been back for over a day now and you haven't even told me. As your official partner on this case, this oversight on your part is completely inexplicable."

"Well just in case you haven't realized, I've been pretty preoccupied with my own problems at the moment."

"Aaaah, the dreaded reunion between two old friends. How did it go?"

"Not bad, considering the alternatives. It could've gotten out of hand pretty easily."

Chuck was still lying in bed as he listened to his conversation.

"So you're CIA too?" asked Chuck

"Yup. This is my first assignment technically. The CIA felt it was àpropos for a newbie to go undercover with Neal to cut suspicions among the Ring. I'm not well-known within the inner CIA circle you see."

Chuck inspected the bald man critically. He could see why the CIA wanted him with Neal. Mozzie was the last person you'd expect to be a spy.

"Well you two better get going. The FBI seriously requires your assistance if it wants to come close to catching Ring operatives."

Their demeanor immediately changed. Despite the events of the previous evening, Chuck was still supposed to help the FBI out on this case.

"Uh…Byrce? I was thinking...wouldn't it be better if we told, you know, my partners in the CIA what's been going down here. Sarah knows almost as much as you about The Ring and I'm sure she would be an asset to this case."

Neal stopped at the doorway. "You're right, Sarah would be helpful. You should talk to General Beckman about it."

The three of them reached headquarters in no time at all. The whole white collar division was abuzz with activity. When they entered, there was a sudden hush.

"Oh don't tell me. The bald guy too!?" exclaimed Jones.

"Unfortunately yes. But if it makes you feel any better, I'm relatively new," said Mozzie.

"Not really," mumbled Jones.

"Has anyone seen Peter?" asked Neal.

"Not since last evening," said Diana, "But he messaged me this morning. He wants us to start the investigation without him. He said he…needs some more time." She looked apologetically at Neal.

"I understand," mumbled Neal.

"Shall we begin now then?" asked Chuck.

"Hughes is waiting for us upstairs," said Diana.

Neal looked around, observing how their attitudes had changed toward him. It wasn't that noticeable but there was a certain awe and admiration he could see in his co-worker's eyes. And telling them even more about the role he played in investigating Fulcrum and The Ring would certainly make things worse. Cursing his luck, he made his way unenthusiastically towards Hughes' office.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I typed this out on my phone so I apologize for any grammatical or punctuation errors. Love ya all. Thanks! :D

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The briefing was quick and to the point, with hardly any interruptions at all. Hughes listened intently to Neal and Chuck as they told him all about the Ring, Fulcrum and their undercover operations. However, they both left out the fact that Chuck was the intersect-both decided the night before that no one in the FBI should know about that, for their own safety. The less they knew about Chuck the better for them all.

"Alright then. What's the plan now?" asked Hughes.

"The plan?" asked Neal sounding confused.

"To take these ring guys down."

Neal and Chuck looked at each other knowingly. Neal knew this was going to happen and he was prepared to tell them as politely as possible that those involved in the case would mainly be helping out with the 'research' side of things, rather than be in the line of fire. The CIA was taking lead on that front.

"'These ring guys' are not white collar criminals. The CIA is here to assist you with your real estate fraud case. Leave The Ring to us," said Chuck.

Hughes looked furious and Neal inwardly sighed. This was not going to be easy.

"I get the fact that we probably won't be of much help, but it looks like you guys could use all the manpower you could get to bring these guys down," said Hughes.

"Actually, it's quite the contrary. We prefer working in smaller and more efficient groups," said Chuck.

"Oh yeah. Well it doesn't look like it's doing you guys any good. From what I gathered, you're at an impasse."

"No," said Neal,"These guys are not what the white collar division is equipped to deal with. The training they have and the weapons they posses are dangerous. Please Hughes, just drop it."

Hughes looked from one man to the other, taking in their expressions and slowly accepting the face that there would be no way around this. They were dead serious.

"Okay alright. It was just an offer," said Hughes, admitting defeat.

"Well I'll be going now then. Nothing much more to offer from our end. If you guys need anything else feel free to ask Bryce. He'll contact me."

"Thank you for your cooperation," Hughes said as they shook hands, "I look forward to working with you in the future.

"Let's hope not, for your sakes."

"Chuck what the hell was that?" said Neal. They both left the building soon after the meeting. Neal tried to call Peter again but the stubborn idiot still refused to pick up.

"What was what?" Chuck asked innocently.

"You know what! 'Let's hope not, for your sakes'. Was that necessary?"

"Oh come on Bryce. You of all people know what the Ring is capable of, or have you forgotten? You wouldn't want your new FBI friends to take the fall for anything the CIA can or cannot do. We're not going to risk our whole operation for some silly little real estate problem."

"Believe me Chuck, I do remember. It's not like I can forget it even if I wanted to. They're the reason I am where I am, hiding to keep myself safe. Do you think I enjoy this? I have been lying to everyone around me ever since I joined the CIA. The Ring defined my life, and continues to also. I want this over with as much as you. But I do know Hughes, Peter and the team. The more you tell them they can't do something, the more they'll want to. I'm betting Hughes has already called in Diana and Jones, making them dig up as much more information about Fulcrum and the Ring as they can."

"So you're telling me that the FBI is never going to back off," said Chuck.

"What I'm saying is, we need to deal with this situation properly. We can't go around telling them what to do and what not to do. They're not going to listen to us. We have to be more clever than that."

"Let me guess. Bryce Larkin now has a genius plan to solve this...tiny problem of ours," said Chuck.

Neal smiled slyly, his manipulative side coming to light now after almost years.

"We're going to make the FBI believe they have all the power, and really give it do them."

Chuck looked at him as if he were crazy, but refrained from saying so.

"Care to elaborate?" he asked.

"We're going to go back in their tomorrow morning and tell Hughes that we've changed our minds, that the CIA wants to work with the FBI to bring down the ring. We're going to let the FBI do all the heavy lifting, but we're not going to tell anyone that the FBI is involved. Let them assume it's the CIA's new recruits or something. With Sarah coming in soon, I'm sure we can pull it off. After all, between the three of us, we'll pretty much have the attention of all the Ring operatives. That way, the FBI gets what they want and we get to keep them safe at the same time. It's a win-win."

"Shouldn't we tell them?"

"They'd never agree. Trust me. This is the only viable option we have. Think about it Chuck, you know I'm right."

Chuck hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding his head in agreement, "You're right. Damn it Bryce, why do you always have to be right."

He stormed off, leaving behind an utterly confused Neal.


End file.
